Denroku Rice cracker mix: A standard but tasty mix of rice cracker snacks with small dried silver fish and peanut-encased crunchy rice balls. Sweet soy glaze coats many of the rice crackers, but the overall flavor leans savory. 3.0/5.0
japanese coop ricecrackers denroku rice cracker mix 3.0
Dean & Co Ginger ale konatsu: This carbonated Japanese beverage mixes ginger with hyuganatsu citrus (a yuzu / pomelo hybrid), and cinnamon for a uniquely refreshing, pleasant drink. It's not particularly spicy, and the carbonation is light, but it does balance the three flavors perfectly and you can easily identify each. It reminds me of the fall, like a tart citrus take on apple cider with its spiced cinnamon and clove aftertaste. Haven't had anything like it before! Purchased at National Azabu. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks soda ginger ale japanese nationalazabu deanco ginger ale konatsu 4.0
Morinaga Hi-Chew Momotaro Grape and Goyomitsuhime Fig: I used to love eating Hi-Chew fruit chews as a kid, which have a texture somewhere between a gummy and chewing gum. They come individually wrapped and usually have a milky, translucent color and are initially firm but become much softer and chewier the longer you eat them. I hadn't felt the need to buy this snack since living in Japan, but I also hadn't come across two-flavored Hi-Chews before this week and made this purchase for grape and fig flavored Hi-Chews at a local Family Mart conve... (read more) 3.0/5.0
candy japanese familymart morinaga hi-chew momotaro grape goyomitsuhime fig 3.0
Marunaga 焼きおいももなか Roasted Sweet Potato Ice Cream Sandwich: This ice cream sandwich is shaped like a roasted sweet potato using potatoes from the Kagoshima prefecture. It is impressively textured to mimic the wrinkly skin of a sweet potato using monaka, a thin rice-based wafer used in many Japanese treats. The monaka doesn't have any flavor on its own, but inside the two halves of the potato are a white sweet potato ice cream and a yellow paste, almost like a cross between a jam and a mash. Overall, I found the dessert to be too sweet, especially ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream japanese santouka dessert sweetpotato marunaga 焼きおいももなか 3.0
福どら Matcha Doriyaki: I know doriyaki from Dorameon because the Japanese pancake-sandwich is a favorite of the beloved Japanese cartoon character. There's a little Japanese confectionary shop close to me that sells many different flavors of doriyaki, from traditional anko red bean to strawberry cream. I purchased their matcha creme flavor that has a whipped matcha filling and a piece of chewy mochi, all between two soft pancakes. The creme was pleasantly bitter and not too sweet, with a fluffy texture that cont... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese hongo matcha doriyaki 4.0
YBC Noir Cocoa Cookies: These are the Japanese equivalent of Oreo cookies, which I tend to have about once a year at the MIT Mystery Hunt competition. Since Mystery Hunt was completely remote this year, I wasn't able to partake in the normal consumption of college-dorm junk food normally shared in person to fuel late-night puzzling, but I still wanted to capture the spirit, which led me to purchase this snack. The YBC snack packs are ubiquitous and can be found at basically all convenience and grocery stores. Ov... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended cookies japanese coop ybc noir cocoa 3.5